1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to filter elements for leach fields for draining septic tank effluents, rainwater, and treated industrial and municipal wastewater into the ground by means of buried filter elements. It furthermore relates to filter elements utilizing rubber tire or plastic scrap, wastes that are finding a constructive use in the filter elements of this invention instead of taking up valuable space in landfills.
This invention also relates to a process for constructing leach fields utilizing the filter elements of this invention.
2. Prior Art
Septic tank effluents, rainwater, and treated industrial and municipal wastewater are conventionally drained into the soil through slotted or perforated drain pipes into trenches filled with gravel and then backfilled with soil. The gravel facilitates the drainage of water into the soil and delays the plugging of the slots or perforations in the drain pipes by soil particles. However, the slots or perforations in the drain pipes and the gravel beds eventually do become plugged with fine solids leached from the soil, making the leach fields ineffective and requiring the removal of the drain pipes and gravel and the construction of new leach fields.